Cultural Changes In The 1970s

After many years of non-stop action, America finally fell into an uneventful lull. The 1970s were an in between period for the nation. It is often referred to as America’s hangover; a stretch of time where the country had no forward motion. The traditional family and gender roles were becoming more obsolete. The Middle East substantially rose the price of crude oil, which was accredited to the severe inflation the nation experienced during this time. President Carter did little to help the country overcome this problem, but, fortunately, his successor did. In the 1970s, America experienced a great sense of change, withdrew from traditional ways, and struggled to overcome its problems. The 1970s were a brief, unremarkable cooling period after
Before this era, it was widely believed and encouraged that children would be more successful than their parents, but this old-fashion notion was antiquated in this decade. The country began to tear as part of it moved forward while the other had no desire to progress. Not only was the country becoming fragmented, but so was the structure of the family. The once ideal traditional nuclear family included one working father and one stay at home mother who’d care for the children and do the chores. The traditional family life was rejected during this period of time. More women were working, divorces rate soared, out of wedlock births had become increasingly common, and much of the country was single. People even started living in communities of like people. Single Americans would rent an apartment in a single apartment complex and seniors would stay together in retirement
The United States experience a severe oil shortage. Lines for gas were hours long, and it wasn’t out of the ordinary to watch someone’s car run out of gas on the highway. President Carter did a terrible job trying to raise the nation’s spirit over the matter. He essentially told them, in what was nicknamed the “Malaise Speech,” that America was suffering economically. In hindsight, it is plain to see how easily America’s problem could have been solved if he had rationed gasoline. Fortunately, for the American people, Ronald Reagan, Carter’s successor, was more effective. When American’s voted for Reagan, it represented a change of the American mindset. The country was tired of dealing with its current issues like they would’ve in the ‘60’s. America was ready to move past its ‘60s mindset and solve its problems.
America experienced a great sense of growth and change during the 1970s. Conflicts that the country had were dealt with poorly. Traditional morals and practices were washed down the drain and the country became more freethinking and individualized. It was the first period of time where nothing truly significant took place in America, so the nation took that spare decade to figure itself out and